Some else that occurred to me after re-reading TJE and WLW: women are going to play a very important role in the AA series.
I can predict what that role is. But we know that RSB is a deliberate, intentional writer who doesn't hesitate to trim the fat if it doesn't server a specific purpose, for example, the "deleted scenes" in Atrithau where Khellus recruits his first followers. So all of the material involving female characters(Esme, Mimara, Serwa, Psatma), mother-child relationships, pregnancy and birth (Mimara, Yatwer, Womb Plague) *must* be building toward something big.
I just can't imagine RSB doing it just because -- he's too good for that. And it might just explain why he's seemingly amused by the accusations of misogyny.
+1. Layers of Revelation - which, of course, will rewrite the narrative entire and reframe all the speculative nerdanels nearest and dearest to us.
But haters gonna hate, pg.
Though, on trimming the fat, there is that one instance where a section with Cnaiur and Kellhus referencing Hearts before the Circumfixion was axed... which apparently leads to our endless debates on Kellhus and Serwe's Heart.
AFAIK we've ever gotten a good explanation for why women aren't recruited into the Schools, so I'm not so sure Bakker has considered his thematic plans all that well when it comes to women.
We know from Esmenet that her matrilineal line is of the Few and many practiced as Witches - she only didn't at the behest of her Mother, apparently because of the social grief it causes. We know from our own history that men don't exactly need reason or quality rationale as to barring woman from institutions in society (or even social positions of equal subjective value).
I honestly think Bakker doubts how much future revelations will or won't reframe the narrative, in this case. Because the only criticism I can actually concede that might eat at him is that taking six books to overturn what some see as narrative overkill in terms of the treatment of women, thus far, is too many books. Though, I would personally contend this with the narrative itself because I personally think there is as much feminism to read into in Bakker's books as there is in any feminist texts I've studied - trust me, as a school of philosophy some 'feminist texts' aren't exactly rigorous in contextualizing their 'evidence,' just like any school of philosophy has its less carefully articulate proponents.
However, as far as I think I could argue, I think that his womanly Layer of Revelation will forge another unique reading experience of the entire narrative.
It seems that Mimara's womb will at least be a big deal since the JE apparently is the eye of the unborn, which is also God's viewpoint.
Can you elaborate on this? Not ringing any bells for me.
"As far as I know," he [Achamian] begins with obvious and infuriating care, "those with the Judging Eye give birth to dead children."
...
"The Judging Eye is the eye of the Unborn... the eye that watches from the God's own vantage."